I am researching what kitchen range to buy. What brand of range have you had that has worked well for you? Do you have different heat sources; gas for cooktop and electric for oven? Do you have a range that has 2 ovens; a little one for pies while the roast is in the lower oven? I thought I wanted a Bosch range but others also look interesting.

There are two "bests." One "best" is the best one can have in a standard residence. The other is absolute best, the commercial option. Let me begin by disposing of one issue with true commercial equipment. That is insulation. Using commercial in a residence requires special wall treatment. The residential "best" is no all that much of a best.

That said, the difference between residential and commercial is sheer power, the amount of heat that can be brought to bear. I am mostly talking about the range burners. Residential gas range burners commonly use a single ring of flame. Commercial uses many more points of fire and can do it because commercial installations are provided with higher volume gas supplies. Commercial electric ranges also need heavier supplies, but it's far more practical to upgrade electric than gas.

What does this all mean. To give an example, for home cooking, a steak to be pan cooked should be at least one inch thick. That is because the limited heat available on a residential range would spoil a thin steak, because it would not be able to brown the surface without over cooking the interior. So we buy a thick steak for home, and the thickness protects the interior. A commercial range can be so hot that it can quickly brown a thin steak and leave the center rare.

So lets talk about what can be done at home. We have to recognize the limited heat capacity of the range top. If we want anything like the cooking style of a commercial range, we need to think about our cookware. Heavy bottom "ply" type cookware is not going to heat quickly and will respond slowly. I would select lined copper for a home gas range. The copper will take up heat most efficiently.

Residential gas ranges have another problem. The makers want to present a "rapid boil" type burner, but they still cannot provide much more gas and heat. And the fire ring on this burner tends to be large diameter, and it will be too wide for all but the larges pans. Home gas ranges boil slowly at best and are probably not the best choice if your cooking style requires a lot of bringing large bots to boil.

Electric home range burners tend to boil more efficiently, mostly, I think, because their heat source is in physical contact with the bottom of the cookware. (Electric and gas burners transfer heat in very different ways.)

I confess to a preference for gas, even in a home range. But I recognize the limitations of the burners, and I keep copper around for when it matters.

One more cookware note. It is sometimes claimed that wrapping copper/aluminum core up the side of a pan is wasted expense. I agree, when they are used on electric. But I find that gas range makers push the fire ring diameters so wide that much heat affects the sides of pans. They get unduly hot. But side core tends to disperse the heat evenly and to the bottom. I conclude that full bottom and side core is appropriate to home gas range, if one cannot go exclusively with copper.

Compare BTU ratings for the various burners on gas ranges you consider buying. These rating appear on a placard somewhere on the range or in the literature. They may not be totally reliable, since they are calculated values and engineers may differ in method. It is highly desirable to time boiling a standard amount of water (always using the same pot) and comparing ranges.

If I consciously push away my prejudice in favor of gas ranges, it's possible that the best residential range has electric top burners and gas oven. And it is always well to end comments like these with the truth that the quality of the results does not depend on the heat source nor the cookware.

__________________"Kitchen duty is awarded only to those of manifest excellence..." - The Master, Dogen

I'm very happy with my Samsung induction w/convection oven. Induction stoves have very powerful burners that have similar levels of instant on/instant off control as a gas range. You must use very high quality cookware. I can boil a gallon of tap water in less than 4 minutes.

Convection oven has convection roast feature that cycles the broiler periodically while cooking. Oven also has steam cleaning feature.

Warming drawer with separate heat controls.

.40

__________________"I must say as to what I have seen of Texas it is the garden spot of the world. The best land and the best prospects for health I ever saw, and I do believe it is a fortune to any man to come here."Davy Crockett, 1836

I have a Jenn-Air gas range and I like it a lot. My mom and sister have Jenn-Air, too, and love them. The only thing I would change would be to get it with two ovens rather than an oven and a warming drawer.

It has convect bake, a bread proofing setting, two timers, a temperature probe for monitoring meat temps while roasting, and a warm/melt setting on one of the burners. Another burner has 40,000 btus, which heats up a pot of water pretty fast (I haven't measured it, but it's better than my old stove). Hth.

__________________The trouble with eating Italian food is that five or six days later you're hungry again. ~ George Miller

Compare BTU ratings for the various burners on gas ranges you consider buying. These rating appear on a placard somewhere on the range or in the literature. They may not be totally reliable, since they are calculated values and engineers may differ in method. It is highly desirable to time boiling a standard amount of water (always using the same pot) and comparing ranges.

If I consciously push away my prejudice in favor of gas ranges, it's possible that the best residential range has electric top burners and gas oven. And it is always well to end comments like these with the truth that the quality of the results does not depend on the heat source nor the cookware.

LOL

Thank you for your thoughtful reply!

For those who replied with the Maytag, Samsung, and Jenn-Air preferences, can you tell me what model you have used? In the past, I have baked a lot, so am interested in the baking qualities of the range.

I am only interested in 30 inch, residential ranges. I have access to a commercial grade gas range at the community house where I will be building.

Thanks for your comments!

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